The Auckland based doctor, Dr Sharad Paul, who many experts believe has revolutionised skin cancer treatment in New Zealand in many ways has been inducted into the Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame in its sixth edition at a glittering function at the SkyCity Convention Centre on Thursday, August 23.
Born in India and trained in his first medical degree and training in general and plastic surgery in Chennai, Dr Paul first arrived in New Zealand in 1991 in pursuit of a new life in the land of Aotearoa and soon became an acknowledged international expert on skin cancer.
Dr Paul has invented a new skin graft technique which reduces costs, pain and healing time for the patients.
For a normal medical professional or for that matter any other professional, this would be more than enough claim for glory, but not for someone like Dr Paul – who is a creative writer, academic, keynote speaker, philanthropist and award-winning café and bookstore entrepreneur.
The man has been conferred several titles, awards and fellowships and has been recognised for his professional excellence and social work globally.
Dr Sharad Paul with Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London, Skin Cancer College of Australasia, Distinguished Fellow of the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners and Member of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
He was bestowed with the Ko Awatea International Award for Leading Improvement on a Global Scale, an award for improving skin cancer management, education, communication and patient-centered care internationally.
Dr Paul was also honoured with the New Zealand Medical Association’s highest award – The Chair’s Award in 2012, the same year he was listed as the finalist in the New Zealander of the Year.
Outside of medicine, Dr Paul runs an award-winning café and bookstore called the Baci Lounge in Newmarket, the proceeds of which are used to fund literacy programmes in low docile Auckland schools. He has also served on the National Commission of UNESCO.
Dr Paul has been described in the media as “one of the most inspiring, intelligent and compassionate men you are likely to meet”. Time magazine, in 2008, called him “Open Heart Surgeon”.
He is also the published author of two (now three) literary fiction novels, Cool Cut (Picador 2007) and To Kill a Snow Dragonfly and The Kite Flyers (4th Estate, Harper Collins 2012 and 2013). He has completed a non-fiction book on skin published internationally: SKIN, a biography (4th Estate, Harper Collins, 2013).
ISSUE
